Chapter 147 Pacification

Looking at the people before him, Xiao Ye sighed.

He knew in his heart that this day had been inevitable. Sooner or later, he would have to resolve the conflict with the man standing before him.

“Tell me. How do you want to settle this?”

Xiao Ye looked at Yu Han, his gaze unwavering.

“There are only the two of us now. If you can defeat me, I will listen to whatever you have to say!”

Yu Han’s expression was equally resolute. For this contest, he was even willing to cast aside Mount Longhu’s reputation.

All he wanted was to avenge his dead disciple and junior fellow apprentice.

After hearing him out, Xiao Ye merely shrugged.

“Since you cannot let go of this obsession, I will help you break free of it.”

The smile vanished from Xiao Ye’s face. He turned serious as he faced the man before him.

A sharp glint flashed through Yu Han’s eyes, an unusual light gleaming within them.

“Let us make this clear beforehand. Everyone here will serve as witness. Life and death are matters of fate, and fortune lies with Heaven!”

“You can say that after you manage to touch me.”

Xiao Ye smiled faintly. Yu Han possessed some strength, but he was still no match for him.

The martial arts academy was no longer a suitable place for them to fight, so the two found an open stretch of ground and prepared to begin.

Red Dragon had originally wanted to stop Xiao Ye and fight in his place.

But Xiao Ye merely waved a hand and walked toward Yu Han.

The two groups faced one another across the open ground. No one knew which of the two men would emerge victorious.

Xiao Ye stood with his hands behind his back. Yu Han said nothing more and charged straight at him.

He threw a punch with his right hand while his left instantly rose into a defensive position.

Xiao Ye gave a slight nod. The stance was excellent, and Yu Han’s awareness was equally sharp.

As expected of Mount Longhu’s master, Yu Han possessed an imposing presence far greater than anyone Xiao Ye had encountered before.

Unfortunately, his opponent this time was Xiao Ye.

In Yu Han’s eyes, Xiao Ye’s body vanished without warning. His right hand was deflected in an instant, its trajectory broken in midair.

Almost simultaneously, the defense of his left hand was also dismantled. Xiao Ye slapped him squarely in the unguarded chest, sending Yu Han stumbling backward.

The instant he landed, Yu Han rose from the ground in a fury. He gathered his strength, preparing to launch another attack.

Xiao Ye straightened and placed both hands behind his back, appearing utterly calm.

Then he curled a finger in a contemptuous gesture, provoking him.

Yu Han’s emotions became even more unstable. Seeing the gesture, he grew furious and charged once more.

Yet Xiao Ye needed only one hand to overwhelm every attack Yu Han unleashed, and the force behind his punches was far greater than before.

“When the mind is unsettled, one cannot protect one’s life!”

Xiao Ye’s left hand shot forward and struck the arm Yu Han had swung with all his strength.

The force was so overwhelming that Yu Han’s entire body was sent flying.

Xiao Ye had no intention of giving him another opportunity. He seized the moment and caught Yu Han by the arm.

Yu Han reacted with astonishing speed. The moment he steadied himself, he threw a punch so swift that an ordinary person would never have been able to respond.

He had thought the blow would land for certain, but Xiao Ye raised his fist as though by instinct and caught Yu Han’s hand in his grip.

Just as he had done when fighting Wang Chushan, Xiao Ye locked down Yu Han’s movements completely. Yu Han struggled to break free, but Xiao Ye’s hold only tightened.

Xiao Ye seized Yu Han by the neck and slammed him viciously onto the ground. Yu Han’s breathing became harsh and frantic. In desperation, he could do nothing but try to pry Xiao Ye’s fingers loose.

But Xiao Ye’s fingers were like steel and iron, clamped immovably around his throat.

Just as Yu Han was about to lose consciousness, Xiao Ye released him, and the two finally separated.

Yu Han lay facedown on the ground, coughing violently and gasping for breath. It took him a long while to recover.

“I concede this contest. From this day onward, Mount Longhu will no longer seek revenge against you.”

Xiao Ye said nothing. He simply helped the man to his feet.

Yu Han’s defeat was not undeserved. Xiao Ye was currently the strongest fighter among them all, tempered by countless battles and possessed of an extraordinarily deep well of combat experience.

After all, he had simply been outmatched. If he continued to make trouble without reason, he would only cause Mount Longhu to lose what little dignity it had left.

Even so, Yu Han remained deeply puzzled.

He brushed the dust from his clothes and finally asked the question that troubled him most.

“Xiao Ye, where exactly did you come from?”

“You do not know? I am from the Xiao family of Jianghai City. That is all there is to my identity.”

Xiao Ye smiled indifferently. Looking at his fair, composed face, Yu Han felt a sense of awe he had never experienced in all his years.

Yu Han had grown up on Mount Longhu. Until the age of sixteen, he had studied martial arts on the mountain, untouched by the affairs of the world.

From childhood onward, he had dreamed of bringing glory to Mount Longhu. After reaching adulthood, he devoted himself to advancing the mountain’s various institutions and systems. Eventually, he became its master.

Yet the young man before him now filled Yu Han with a reverence he had never known before.

The two stood in silence, simply looking at one another.

Only after a long while did Xiao Ye slowly speak.

“The only thing I regret is the death of your junior fellow apprentice. I did not intend to kill him, but the situation was complicated, and I had no choice but to act.”

After Xiao Ye finished speaking, Yu Han’s expression darkened.

“But I have not the slightest regret concerning your disciple. He was the one who provoked me first.”

Yu Han froze. This was completely different from the answer he had expected.

As Xiao Ye continued explaining, the truth about what Yu Han’s disciple had done gradually came to light.

How could such a thing have happened? Yu Han blamed himself for being so foolish that he had allowed himself to be deceived.

The more he listened, the more ashamed Yu Han became.

He had not only regarded Xiao Ye as his sole enemy, but had also insulted him and tried to kill him.

The guilt in his heart became overwhelming. Before he knew it, his legs gave way, and he was about to kneel before Xiao Ye.

Fortunately, Xiao Ye was quicker and stopped him.

“Absolutely not. I am a sinner myself. I certainly cannot accept such a gesture from you.”

Xiao Ye looked at Yu Han and spoke with helpless resignation.

Seeing that Xiao Ye refused to accept his apology, Yu Han continued speaking at length, saying all manner of things.

When he had finished, he wiped away the tears at the corners of his eyes, bade Xiao Ye farewell, and then led his people away, disappearing at the far end of the martial arts academy.

“All right. The matter has been dealt with. Let us prepare to head back.”

With the same smile still on his face, Xiao Ye spoke to Red Dragon and the others behind him.